COVID: Delhi reported 3,000 or more fresh cases between Friday and Sunday (Representational)

New Delhi:

In the aim of intensifying testing across the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday validated the 1,000th testing laboratory, while the number of RT-PCR tests for detection of the disease crossed the seven million-mark.

Out of these 1,000 COVID-19 testing laboratories, 730 are in government setups and 270 laboratories are in the private sector, news agency PTI reported.

“This is an important milestone in the fight against coronavirus. Since the beginning, we have been focusing on 3Ts — testing, tracking and treating — to fight the disease. Through increased testing, we are fighting this virus,” ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said.

Delhi’s total number of COVID-19 cases crossed the 66,000-mark on Tuesday with the biggest single-day spike of 3,947 fresh infections, while the death count due to the disease mounted to 2,301, authorities said.

The national capital reported 3,000 or more fresh cases between Friday and Sunday. On Monday, 2,909 cases were recorded in the city.

Sixty-eight people died due to novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a Delhi health department bulletin said on Tuesday.

The death count due to the infection has risen to 2,301, and the total number of cases mounted to 66,602, it said.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 473,475 people, worldwide, since the outbreak emerged in China last year, according to news agency AFP.